1) BP Material??
2) Integrated Weight??
3) Single Tank Wing Lift ??
4) Double Tanks Wing Lift ??
5) Brands ??
1) “Getting away with” something usually implies you’re doing something wrong or risky but not getting caught. What do you perceive you are cheating at or risking by getting a SS BP? Each material has its advantages and disadvantages. A SS backplate is about 6 lbs for most brands and the whole point is to centralize and meld the weight to your torso. A SS backplate puts the weight right above your lungs as you indicated you desire.
2) A dive buddy neatly zip ties hard weights to his Aluminum BP to make up for the lack of the Aluminum BP’s weight. Cuts them off when he travels and then re-installs a borrowed set from the boat at his dive destination. He doesn’t need pockets. Seems pretty integrated to me. With more research you’ll find there are all kinds of pockets that will integrate the weight neatly. When I had a back inflate BCD, I used the smallest trim pockets possible on my tank bands positioned as closely to the soft backplate as possible. Worked great.
3) I’d go as small as possible on the single tank wing. I second the DGX single tank rig. Less total possible space for the air to shift as you evolve from using your arms to make direction and trim corrections to good fin, bladder and lung control to adjust buoyancy and trim. You’re not likely to start taking enough working kit to warrant a larger single tank wing. If you do, you’re probably succumbing to geardo-ism. Hopefully your TDI instructor helps you “clean up” if you have a bunch of doo-dads hanging off you.
4) Twinset...that’s a whole other wing. I wouldn’t pursue a brand of wing that purports to dive single and double. I think you compromise performance characteristics (or end up with bungee linguine all over your back). The DGX single tank rig will grow with you when you start diving a twinset. Pull the single wing off, put the double wing on. The benefit is you won’t have to adjust your BP and cross load accessories (back-up torch, cutting device, etc). Dive Rite also makes great kit.
5) Have you checked out
www.dirdirect.com? They have a lot of brands and they’re in England making shipping pretty quick to the Middle East. I checked out the HOG kit.....looks too fiddly to me, like SP’s X-TEK kit. Too many rings on the shoulder straps for me and the tails of the adjustable straps will complicate matters, too. All that will be annoying when you start managing deco bottles. What rehearses well on dry land isn’t that same at depth when your head is getting shrunk. You say you intend to “go Hogarthian” but the HOG kit seems the opposite direction. When I pulled up their webpage, jacket style BCDs appeared first. I take that as a cue that tec diving is not their core focus. I’d stick with the brands that have been focused on tec diving since their inception.
Given where you’re at in your journey, I’d put the majority of your focus on improving your buoyancy, swimming (finning), trim and breathing skills rather than trying to find the perfect kit.
Archer, not the arrow.
Best of luck in your hunt.
